Rack for penholders, &amp;c.



Patented Oct. 24, |899. J. ADAIR.

RACK FDR PENHOLDERS, &c.

(Application led Dec. 2, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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WITNESSES:

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NITED STATES PATENT Trios.

RACK FOR PENHoLDERs, sbo.

SPECIFIATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,284, dated October 24, 1899. Application iiled December 2, 1898. Serial No. 698,064. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES ADAIR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leet township, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Racks for Penholders, dac., of which improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improveme'ntsin racks for penholders, pencils, tc., and has for its object the formation of the clamping-fingers from comparatively soft flexible material which shall have sufficient rigidity to support the pencil or other article when placed between adjacent fingers.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, Figure lis a top plan View of my improved pen-rack, one of the ngers being broken away to show the supporting-diaphragm. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the construction shown in Fig. l. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views similar to Fig. 2, illustratin g different modifications of myimprovement.

In the practice of my invention the fingers 2 are formed by folding strips of flexible material, such as leather, webbing, felt, rubber, or any suitable material, which while capable of yielding to permit of the insertion of a pencil or other article between adjacent fingers shall have suiicient rigidity or firmness to take a grip upon such article and hold it in position. The fingers are formed by so folding a strip of such material that each up ward fold will form a double-Walled finger or projection of sufficient length to permit of the insertion between them of the article to be held. As shown in Fig. 2, the lower folds are secured to the base or support 3 by means of tacks or other suitable means. To insure the maintenance of the upper folds in proper vertical position and in proper relation to each other, stiffening plates or diaphragms 4 may be inserted therein, the upper ends of such diaphragms or partitions bearing against the under side of the upper folds, while their lower ends rest upon the base or foundation 3. These partitions or diaphragms are held in position laterally by the sides of the upper folds or fingers, the lower folds being secu red to the foundation or base of such proximity to each other that the inner walls of the ngers will bear upon the diaphragms closely adjacent to the lower ends.

In lieu of forming the fingers by reversely folding a long strip of material, as shown in Figs. l and 2, each finger may be formed by folding short strips, each of suitable length, to a U shape to form the two walls of a finger, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of these U shaped fingers are preferably secured to the base 3 by inserting them in transverse slots formed in the uppor sides of the base and then upsetting the walls of such slots against the sides of the strips, or the ends of the lingers may be held in position within the slots by any suitable cement..

The fingers may be held so closelj7 adjacent to each other as to prevent any material malformation by means of spring-plates 6, secured to the block or base outside of the end fingers and bearing 'against the same, as shown in Fig. 3. It is preferred when the fingers are formed of quite soft flexible material to support each finger by the intermediate wall or diaphragm 4 and the whole series of fingers by the end braces 6.

If desired, the fingers and base may be formed of rubber and integral with each other, as shown in Fig. 4. If the base is to be stiff and rigid, it will be subjected to vulcanization or other hardening process.

In lieu of forming the fingers of a single thickness of material the strip of rubber, paper, or other material is covered with some suitable thin material, as silk, as shown in Fig. 5, and this compound strip is folded, as shown in Figs. l or 3, to form the fingers, which are then secured to the base in the manner described-as, for example, by tacks or other suitable means in such manner that the closed ends of the folded strip are loose or free to move laterally. Ordinarily this compound strip would have sufficient rigidity so that the fingers would maintain their proper positions without the use of the supporting-diaphragms or the end spring-plates.

It is characteristic of my improvement that the sides or legs of each finger or U-shaped IOO fold are rigidly secured to the base, so that when an article is placed between adjacent lingers only those lingers Will be deflected, and the sides of the lingers in contact With the article will grip or fold around the article, securely holding the same.

I claim herein as my invention- -1. The combination in a rack for penholders, duc., of a base or support and a series of lingers formed by U -shaped folds of resilient llexible material and braces at the ends of the series, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a rack for penholders, dsc., of a base or support and a series of JAMES ADAIR.

Witnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLoorT, l?. E. GAITHER. 

